Turning Wrong
by EvermoreToFall
Summary: Rachel Roth isn't really a bad person, she just stands on the other side of the tracks: the side that can get her arrested...the side that can get her killed. She and her team of Shadows are after one last big score, but one major roadblock stands in their way: JCPD Detective Richard Grayson. Can they make it out unscathed, or at the least, alive? AU, NOT FEMSLASH, NOT ROBRAE!
1. The Diamonds

**Note: Partner is NOT implying anything romantic! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

In Jump City, there were four kinds of people. There were the rich people, who never wanted and complained about the weather and economy. There were the poor people, who always needed and never complained. There was the middle class, never needing but still wanting. Then there were the thieves, the criminals, the ones who sought to never need again.

Rachel Roth was one of those criminals.

Not by choice, of course, but by heritage and—when she had denied that—force. Her profits paid for online college courses, for food, for the shabby apartment she shared with her partner in crime. Her father was proud of her now, and his pride kept her safe from his wrath. Rachel was a one in a million kind of girl; she was literate, sarcastic, and very smart. She was selfless, too: she had often put her life on the line to save her partner or her teammates from an impossible situation. Rachel had never wanted to break the law, but now she couldn't imagine doing anything different.

Her partner had different ideas.

Jennifer Hexx was a nice enough person, but she could be cruel and borderline sadistic. Her wit was handy in escaping the authorities, and her grace and flexibility was unmatched. An orphan, Jenny's only company for the first twelve years of her life was a black cat named Clover. Jenny had been stealing since she was five years old and pickpocketing for money to buy candy bars and cat food, and had never been caught once. She wasn't quite as selfless as Rachel, but would sacrifice herself to let her team escape safely.

In action, they were Raven and Jinx, co-leaders of their team. They didn't know the true identities of their teammates, but the two girls were fast friends. They were practically sisters, and always either agreed perfectly or clashed spectacularly. Their fights had never screwed a job, though. Never.

Their operations were (barely) funded by Rachel's father, Lucifer, also known as Trigon. He was widely known as the Lord of Crime, and controlled many teams, assassins, dealers, thieves, and other criminals across the globe. He resided in Jump City, living like a king, but he had thrown Rachel out at age twelve, when he killed her mother, Columbia. That had been when Rachel had committed her first crime; stealing a priceless artifact from a museum. She had run into Jenny, also twelve and angry after watching Clover die from cancer, who was after the same thing, and the two had teamed up. Throughout the years, they had assembled a team that could do anything. They didn't specialize: they monopolized. The cops couldn't catch them, so they called themselves Shadows. They could work anyone, do anything, because there were different kinds of criminal, and Rachel and Jenny had recruited them all.

Cheshire was an assassin: she specialized in poisons, combat, and weapons. Her ruthlessness was practically unmatched. She would kill her own mother and feel no regret at all if she was being paid for the job. She was also fairly good at the seduction game.

Angel was the girl who went up. She got her teammates around, quite easily. Along with her connections with airplanes and helicopters, she was great with ziplines, bungee jumps, parachutes, rappelling, and climbing.

Gizmo was only a teenager, but never to be underestimated. He was a hacker to the core, and no security system could keep him out. Gizmo also made electronic gadgets, utilized by all Shadows.

Mammoth was a hulk of a man, the designated fighter of the team. He could take out armed foes with his bare hands, and it took more than one bullet to bring him down.

SeeMore ran surveillance, visual and audio. He could always be relied on to give a heads-up if a witness was in sight, or cops were in the vicinity. He was also an excellent forger.

Red X ran drugs. He knew the dealers, he knew the hotspots, he knew the undercover cops, and he knew the drugs. Prices were skyrocketing as the team eliminated the competition, and Red X's suppliers were loyal. They knew what would happen otherwise.

Rancid was muscular, but not as bulky as Mammoth. He was a great fighter, but also the designated escape. He provided secure locations for getaway vehicles, and often led the cops on wild chases to distract them.

Kyd Wykkyd was just that: wicked. He was the thief, the sneak. He had a habit of seeming to just appear out if thin air. He was creepy, and that was an understatement.

Together with Jinx—thief, fighter, grifter—and Raven—mastermind, con artist, thief, combatant—they became Shadows, a team that was uncatchable, unstoppable. They erased all evidence with fire. They were untracrable. They were legends.

"Jenny, wake the _hell_ up! You're sleeping like a damn dog!"

Very lazy legends.

Rachel was screaming and pounding on the bedroom door, struggling to awaken her slumbering friend. They took turns with the cot, every week switching so one was on the couch and one on the slightly more comfortable cot. As the leaders of their team, Rachel and Jenny got larger pieces of the profit than the others. When they combined their shares, they had enough to buy two nice cars, food and clothes, and their cheap apartment. They were going to buy something bigger at some point; there was an account stashed in a pair of fuzzy black slipper-boots. The tops seams were slashed, and money was constantly being stuffed in while the women sealed the seams with buttons and snaps and hid the box in the closet. The best way to hide something, as Jenny and Rachel knew; in plain sight, where no one would stick their nose. At any given time, money was stashed all about the apartment; in tissue boxes, decks of cards, lightbulbs, flashlights, remotes, cell phones, mattresses, couches, toilets...everywhere. Jenny and Rachel kept everything straight.

"Shit! Rachel, where's the twenty I had taped to the back of the nightstand?"

Usually.

Clearly, Jenny was awake. Rachel rolled her eyes, a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth and threatening to show itself.

"We moved it yesterday; check the matchbox in the drawer," there was a moment of silence.

"Thanks!"

"Whatever," Rachel replied, heating up some water. Jenny would cook; Jenny always cooked. Rachel made tea for herself and coffee for her formerly mentioned friend, and the occasional non-cook snack or microwaveable dish; that was the extent of Rachel's cooking knowledge. Anything else somehow ended up burnt, frozen, contaminated, or otherwise inedible.

"What should I make?" Jenny asked as she walked into the kitchen, rubbing her green eyes and yawning. Rachel bit her tongue to hold back a sharp retort.

"I don't care," she ended up saying simply. Jenny stretched up to fish around in the cabinets, and Rachel put out everything that she needed for tea and coffee; the box of herbal tea bags, instant vanilla-caramel coffee, some assorted herbs, milk, and the first bottle of wine she happened to see. Leaving them on the counter, she hurried to "set the table," basically putting two plates by the stove and the silverware on the coffee table. By the time she finished, it was time to stir the ingredients together in two mugs; hot water, a tea bag, and herbs for Rachel, instant coffee, milk, water, and a splash of wine for Jenny. Rachel carried the mugs to the coffee table and turned on the TV, turning on some classic Tom and Jerry after she sat down. No sooner was this done than Jenny walked out, balancing a plate on each hand.

"Order up," she joked, setting both plates on the table. Rachel stared in mock awe at the slice of French toast with powdered sugar, cheap fake maple syrup imitation, and assorted fruits on the side.

"I feel so pampered," she teased, taking a bite of cantaloupe.

"You should," Jenny retorted. Rachel snorted and popped another bite of fruit in her mouth. "Oh come on! Why does Jerry always win? He's a freaking mouse! Go Tom go!" Jenny yelled.

"Sh! Do you want another fine?" Rachel scolded. "And I think there was one time Tom actually caught Jerry."

"Did he eat him?"

"He let him go, out of pity, maybe kinship I guess."

"Lame," Jenny groaned, throwing a piece of banana at the TV.

"You're cleaning that up later," Rachel assured her. Jenny stuck out her tongue in a very mature manner. Rachel called her on this, and got a pillow in the face for her honesty. It was the only pillow on the couch, so it was faded and too soft to do any damage, but it was still offending.

And amusing.

After breakfast and the anticipated anti-cleanup, Rachel and Jenny were settling down to business matters. They were planning a new job, and had been working the waters for at least a month. Tonight was the night everything was supposedly going to fall together in the perfect pattern, stars aligned for success and escape. To begin this event, Jenny took out a small cell phone and pressed one of the buttons. A series of loud "dings" rang out, and Rachel pulled an identical device from her pocket to press a button and end the noise. Jenny and Rachel then proved that their devices were not cell phones by popping off small side panels, pulling out earbuds, and closing the panels again.

"Anyone open yet?" Jenny asked into her earbud. Rachel stayed silent.

"Yeah, I'm here," SeeMore's unmistakable voice carried over the earbud. A high-pitched ring proved that the mute Kyd was on as well.

"We ready?" came Cheshire's voice.

"Not yet. We're waiting on Angel, Raven, Gizmo, Mammoth, Red X, and Rancid," Jenny answered.

"Not anymore," Red X said simply.

"Hey! I was napping!" Mammoth yelled, making Jenny clutch her ear in pain. Rachel smirked and walked into the bedroom to put her earbud in.

"Hey. Which lazy asses are we waiting in this time?" she asked flatly.

"Just Angel and Giz now," Jenny assured her over the earpiece.

"Angel here, did someone say my name?"

"Now where's the kid?" Red X asked. A text appeared on the screen of Rachel's device.

_Who, me?_

"No not you, Kyd. Gizmo!" Red X growled, his teeth clearly gritted in exasperation.

"Who's calling me a kid?" Gizmo's young voice accused.

"Nobody. Let's just get moving before somebody makes a beer run. Jinx, what are the coordinates?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, you all know the place. It's the old warehouse down by the Chinese restaurant. We need a distraction for the cops...Angel, Kyd, X, Giz; you know what to do."

"Good times," SeeMore chuckled, still remembering the warehouse.

"Be there in no more than fifteen minutes," Jenny said. There were grumbles of agreement, and Rachel turned off her earbud before walking back into the living room as quietly as possible. Jenny put a finger to her own ear to say that her earpiece was still in, and Rachel nodded. After a few moments, Jenny turned her earbud off and put it in her pocket.

"I move first," Rachel suggested. Jenny nodded.

"I'll give you a two minute lead, and circle on the east side."

"I'll cut straight."

"Then we're clear?"

"Crystal."

"Move out," Jenny said with a wry smile. Rachel gave a mock salute and darted out of the apartment. She was high on adrenaline, the way she was before every job, so she was unusually happy and hyper. As she ran down the stairs and out of the lobby to her black car, some car keys thudded to the ground beside her. Rachel grinned and picked them up, fully aware of the fact that she had forgotten them in the apartment. She unlocked her car and slid into the driver's seat before starting up the car and pulled onto the road. Cutting straight through would take her right past the police station, but it was a risk she had to take; if her team knew she and Jenny lived in the same apartment, they could track their leaders down.

Besides, the cops were always the last to know.

* * *

Detective Richard Grayson was technically not on duty, but as he left the station, he couldn't help but notice slight...indiscretions. The young man in a black coat, sunglasses, and hat, who was obviously slipping a sleek black snakeskin wallet into his already bulging pocket, practically begging to be caught. The black-haired seductress who was running a transparent game on a clearly wealthy man. The gun, cleverly concealed in the pocket of a young man. The young woman whose hand was turning something in her pocket as she warily eyed everyone around her. The teenager who had been by that ATM a little too long. The black car that was going too fast, just a little too heedless of the police station. And Dick remembered them all; the faces, the crimes he suspected them of, the license plate of that car. He decided to take care of the one person he could charge; the coat guy. Dick walked over to the criminal and stepped in front of him before pulling out his badge.

"JCPD, mind emptying your pockets?" he requested. The criminal froze and stared at him, wide-eyed, like he had never been caught before. But there was something else…something almost victorious. "That wasn't really a question," Dick repeated. He didn't even notice the woman behind him until a hand struck the side of his head, and an unexpected sharp kick to the back of his knees sent him to the ground.

"Kyd, run!" the attacker hissed. The pickpocketer ran down the sidewalk, and Dick rolled to his feet to face to young woman facing him. He hadn't seen her before. It was like she had simply dropped out of the sky.

"You're under arrest!" he growled. She smirked.

"Find me," she challenged.

"What?" was all Dick could say before a dart impaled itself in the back of his neck. As poison coursed through his veins, he struggled to stay standing. The blurry shapes of the gun-man and the young woman who had been carrying something in her pocket appeared above him. When had he fallen? The world was fading through shades of red, orange, and yellow.

"Nighty-night," the young woman who had first attacked him said cruelly. He thought she smirked, but her face was twisting like a rippling reflection in a river...the world was turning green. He couldn't tell what was up and what was down. As the three people started to walk away, Dick tried to follow them and fell heavily to the ground. Hadn't he already fallen? The world was blue. He tried to crawl, but his hands met empty air. He writhed on his back, and his ears started ringing and fizzling. Violet now, as pain exploded in his head, throat, chest, and stomach. Dick's limbs were going numb...white. All he saw was white. Should he go to the light? Gray, it was all coming back...they were getting away...someone was feeling for a pulse, dialing on a phone...he tried to tell them, but he couldn't speak.

Then the world turned black, and Dick knew no more.

* * *

As she walked away from the writhing cop, Angel grinned sadistically. She loved her job. Flanked by Cheshire and Red X, she felt invincible. She refrained from putting a hand to her ear, taking out her communicator instead.

"Hey Kyd, you make a clean escape?" she asked.

_Of course,_ his text read.

"Gizmo, you get the money and cameras?"

"The barf-brains didn't see a thing."

"Cheshire, you sure about that dart?" Cheshire nodded.

"The toxins will keep him out for hours, and wipe his memory. The dart's clean, too,"

"Angel to Jinx: distraction in place. We're all set."

* * *

"You ready?" Jenny asked Rancid, Mammoth, and SeeMore. Less than a minute ago, Angel had told them that they were good to go. Jenny knew that Rachel would be in position, and that Gizmo would have the city out cold. She just had to put her pieces in play. The three men nodded. "Okay boys; let's do this," SeeMore began scrambling up a nearby fire escape, and Rancid hopped into the driver's seat of the idling black van. "Mammoth, we're on," Jenny tapped his bicep and started walking, heading into the warehouse. It was almost pitch black, so Jenny kept a light hold on Mammoth's arm, as she could see in the dark and he couldn't. They strode confidently through the darkness until they came to a spot where a bare bulb was shining in the rafters, allowing a wide patch of light to hang down. As soon as they stepped into the light, five well-muscled men with guns approached from the other side.

"You have the money?" the man in front asked. Jenny smirked.

"Do you see a briefcase? New deal; you hand over the merchandise for free," she said coldly. The man snarled and sneered at her in response.

"There are two of you and five of us. I hardly think that—" quick as a flash, Jenny had one of the men in a headlock, a gun set to blow out his brains. The speaker gulped. "Now hang on a second…" Mammoth ripped away another man's gun and lifted him into the air, ready to snap him in half.

"Make that three of you," Jenny fired and Mammoth snapped. "Wanna go for one?" Mammoth moved for another man, and Jenny aimed her gun at the final goon, her eyes on the speaker. He was silent. "Okay then," Jenny calmly shot the man in the chest, and Mammoth crumpled the skull of the other.

"Okay okay, I give! Here!" the speaker reached into his jacket and hurled a packet at them. Jenny unwrapped it and smiled greedily.

"Excellent," the man began to walk away, and she raised her gun. "Now hold on a second. I never said you were getting out alive," in an instant, he was dead, and Mammoth and Jenny were running.

"Cops just got a call from a pedestrian: shots fired at your coordinates. Might take them a bit since we left them that little investigation to run at their front door," SeeMore announced. "Wait!" Jenny and Mammoth halted. "Pedestrian's outside still."

"Did he see the van?" Jenny asked.

"Nah, Rancid hauled ass into an alley. Okay you're clear."

"SeeMore, start getting the hell outta there! Rancid, have the doors open!" Jenny was in calm command as she sprinted through the darkness. In what seemed like no time at all, she and Mammoth were back in the van and making a clean escape. "Raven, clean up's all on you."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Jenny heard Rachel's smirk. "I'll set up: five minutes, tops, in and out."

"Angel, you keeping an eye on that cop?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah. He's just waking up now…"

* * *

Dick came around to see five faces staring worriedly down at him. After a moment, he realized he was in a hospital.

"What…?" he tried to sit up but failed. "What happened?"

"Someone attacked you outside the station," Victor Stone, Dick's partner, said.

"Who?"

"Security was knocked out: nobody knows," he replied.

"How are you feeling, friend?" Kori Anders, a foreign woman Dick had saved from a hostage situation and later befriended, asked kindly.

"I'll bet he feels like shit," smirked another woman, Detective Karen Beecher from Steele City. She had been a Jump City cop before moving, and was in town on vacation to visit her friends.

"Got that right," Dick mumbled.

"Hey, cheer up: you're not dead!" Gar Logan, Vic's friend and roommate, spoke up. Roy Harper, Dick's friend from high school, smirked.

"Like I was about to say," Karen said, "you were injected with a nasty concoction that wiped your memory and knocked you out. It's not in any known database and the dart's clean. Whoever did this, they're good," Vic's phone rang and he walked out of the room. "Maybe some of Trigon's underlings?"

"Why would Trigon want to attack me?" Dick asked confusedly.

"No clue," Karen shrugged.

"Slade," Dick growled. "He must be behind this."

"You locked him up two years ago, Dick. How could he be?"

"He's still a powerful crime lord," Dick replied. "Who else would have reason to attack me?"

"Maybe someone who wanted a delay," Vic reentered. "Just got a call: there were shots fired in an old warehouse. Ten minutes later, the whole thing went up in smoke. Blew up two good cops, Davidson and White."

"Incinerating any evidence," Dick said slowly, "just like the other cases we've seen," too many explosions and arsons had been occurring around crime scenes. "This isn't coincidence. Someone's covering their tracks."

"Well they're doing it pretty well: explosion took everything out. There's nothing left but ash," Vic replied. Dick's expression hardened further.

"We _will _catch them," he growled. "We will."

* * *

"Success!" Angel cheered as Shadows regrouped in the park. Jenny unwrapped the package again and stared down in awe. Red X whistled softly.

"That," he said, "is one very fancy necklace."

"Twenty-four karat gold chain, perfectly flawless white and blue diamonds and," Jenny drew in a hissing breath, "one perfect red diamond," she grinned. "This is worth millions if we sell to the right person. And I know just the sucker…"

* * *

"Okay Giz, is the chatroom ready?" Jenny asked.

"Yup. You've just gotta act like you're all trying to by this piece of crud," Gizmo replied. "This lady'll never know what hit her!"

"Send the invite," Jenny ordered. Gizmo sent the message from his untraceable and phony email account, which he had created on a library computer after turning off surveillance.

"Go!" Rachel ordered.

_Dr. Jennings: $400,000_

_Professer Rinder: $500,000_

_Dr. Jennings: $700,000_

_Dr. Shambe: $750,000_

_Professor Rinder: $900,000_

* * *

Kori opened her email to find one new message.

_Professor Anders,_

_You have been invited to join a private chatroom for the sale of Victoria's Diamonds. Please click the link below to accept our offer._

—_Professor Raymond Darkwood_

Kori gasped. Victoria's Diamonds were incredibly valuable! She immediately clicked the link.

_Dr. Shambe: $5,650,000_

_Dr. Jennings: $5,700,000_

Kori scrolled up suspiciously, but upon finding that the amounts had been steadily increasing for hours, she jumped in.

* * *

"Man my fingers are numb!" SeeMore complained. "And Dr. Shambe is a sucky name!"

"Keep typing!" Jinx snarled.

_Professor Anders: $6,000,000_

"Yes!" Angel cheered, continuing to bid as Professor Rinder. Ten minutes of excruciatingly slow bidding later, Jenny realized they were about to lose their mark.

"Everyone, back off," she ordered.

_Dr. Shambe: Out_

_Professer Rinder: $7,500,000_

_Professsor Anders: $7,550,000_

_Dr. Jennings: $7,600,000_

_Professor Rinder: Out_

_Professor Anders: $8,000,000_

_Dr. Jennings: Out_

"We did it! We did it!" Angel squealed excitedly. "This is our biggest score yet!" everyone rolled their eyes at her exaggeration.

"Why did we sell Victoria's Diamonds, though?" Red X asked.

"Oh these aren't the real diamonds," Jenny replied flippantly. "Just a very expensive imitation of them. The real diamonds would have a V engraved in the back. We only showed a picture of the front," she smirked. "You know, I almost feel bad. But I don't. Gizmo, hit send."

* * *

_Professor Anders,_

_Congratulations on your winning bid! Please transfer your money to this account, recently created at Jump City Bank for your convenience: 77343128. Once the money transfer is confirmed, I will meet you outside the bank with the diamonds._

—_Professor Raymond Darkwood_

Kori squealed excitedly and hurried to the bank.

* * *

Rachel watched, anticipation tingling deep within her as Gizmo hacked into the bank, turning off the security and transferring the money from the fake account to the team's numerous accounts. The money would be divided between the team and sent into each of their private accounts, each held under an alias, plus the entire team's account, under another alias.

Untraceable.

That was Rachel's favorite word and, as she smirked, she knew it was the word the police would be saying when they found out.

* * *

"Untraceable!" Dick, completely recovered, shouted before swearing viciously. "Kori, why did you go so high?"

"Had they been the real diamonds, my bid would have been mediocre," she corrected. Dick swore again.

"Vic, you have any luck with that money?"

"Sorry, man. Money's gone, account's gone…it's like it was never there. But the hacker leaves a signature: a gear in the bottom right corner of the screen. These are the same guys who attacked you."

"Why would they want us to know that?" Dick asked incredulously.

"Bragging rights? Look man, I've been over everything. The email traces to the library and the security was out that day…same signature. The buyers all bounce off of different servers at random, but I tracked them back to the park. I investigated and found a fire nearby…my guess is, these guys burned the electronics tying them to the crime."

"Why do they burn so much?" Dick wondered aloud.

"Pyros? It corrupts the evidence, in any case," Vic offered. Dick growled.

"I'll find them…I'll find them all."

* * *

"Good work, everyone!" Jenny said, smirking. "We're all a whole lot richer after that one. Sleep safe and good fortune: Raven or I'll contact you with our next job," everyone nodded and slowly dispersed. Rachel and Jenny entered their cars and split up, each circling a different way to get to their apartment. When they arrived, Jenny fixed lasagna for dinner and they ate to laughter before heading off to bed.

* * *

"Don't worry, Kori," Dick said harshly as he drove her to her house. "I'll find whoever's responsible and make them pay."


	2. The Whirlwind Plan

**So this is more of a filler than anything, next chapter will be far longer!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

When Rachel sat up in the morning, she somehow knew it would be a good day. She didn't know exactly how, she just knew.

That was when the plan hit her.

Kori Anders, their mark from yesterday, was incredibly wealthy. Run a scam on her and...well...Shadows would be set for life. There was only one problem: Gizmo couldn't hack into her bank accounts. He didn't know which were hers, as she had created them under an alias, but if Shadows could figure it out...

Rachel pulled her communicator and pressed the button before putting in her earpiece.

"What the fuck, Raven!" Jenny screeched after a few minutes. Rachel snickered. Her teammates had similar reactions.

_&$! !? $&_

Read Kyd Wykkyd's text.

"I have our next mark," Rachel said severely. "Kori Anders, from yesterday's scam. She's incredibly wealthy: one of her currency actually translates to twelve of ours. If we get close then bingo, we've got our last big score in the bag. We can all retire before we're thirty."

"No shit?" Red X asked disbelievingly.

"No shit," Rachel replied.

"So how do we play this?" Angel asked.

"We get close to her friends. SeeMore, tail her and figure out to whom she's closest. Then we'll play it by ear."

"Awesome!" Angel cheered.

"Angel, it's like seven in the morning," Cheshire groaned. "Stop being so happy!"

"Never!" Angel hissed in a demonic voice before giggling wildly.

"SeeMore, I meant now!" Rachel snapped.

"On it!" he disconnected.

_SeeMore is offline,_ read Rachel's screen.

"Angel, you're on refill duty."

"Aw, again?" she whined.

"You're the only one who likes being up this early."

"Touché. I'll be in touch!" she also disconnected. One by one, the others signed off. Rachel removed her own earbud and turned off her communicator as Jenny emerged.

"You could have waited," Jenny said grumpily. Rachel shrugged.

"But I didn't," the other woman shot her a glare. "You ready for today?"

"What's today?"

"The day we take down the rival gang," when Jenny apparently kept blanking, Rachel sighed. "Five-man job: you and Cheshire keep lookout and I'm on shot. Rancid drives and Gizmo monitors the frequencies."

"Oh! That one!" Jenny nodded. "So ready."

"So preppy," Jenny made a face. "Rancid set everything up last night."

"When do we move in?" was Jenny's eager inquiry. Rachel shrugged.

"Meh, couple hours. Let the cops wake up so the odds are even."

"Right. I can't wait," they exchanged an evil grin.

* * *

"I can't wait!" Dick shouted into the phone. "I need those results now!" Vic took the phone.

"He's been a little stressed," he put a hand over his partner's face and shoved him away as Dick made a wild grab for the phone. "How soon can you have them in? ...That's great, thanks," he hung up and looked severely at his friend. "Look man, you gotta get it together or we'll never find who did this to Kori," he said simply. Dick ran his hand along his jaw and stood.

"Okay. What do we know?"

"We know they're good. We know they've been doing this for at least seven years. We know they have a team. We know their hacker has a signature and we know they like to burn stuff and blow evidence up, that's all we got. I'm sorry, man, but that's it."

"Detective Grayson? There's an anonymous CI for you on line two," Dick picked up the phone and pressed the appropriate button.

"Detective Grayson."

"Man, they're after me! They got me into a meet and I can't get out!" Dick frowned.

"Who is this?"

"They're crazy man, they're crazy, always with the bombs and the fire!" Dick's eyes widened.

"Where's your meet?" he signaled for Vic to trace the call.

"The alley behind the apartment buildings on twenty-fifth."

"With who?"

"They're everywhere, everywhere! Nowhere's safe...I didn't want to meet with them but I had to keep my cover...but my cover's blown..."

"Listen, you just need to calm down. When's the meet?"

"In a few hours! They're gonna get me, man!"

"I got him. He's calling from a cell on Grieger."

"Stay where you are, we'll come pick you up."

"Can't stay anywhere, they're everywhere..." the CI whimpered.

"What's your name?" then the CI hung up. Dick swore. "Let's move!" but by the time they reached the location, all that was left of the CI was the cell phone.

* * *

"Suit up," Rachel said lazily, throwing on a hoodie. Jinx followed suit. Rachel pulled out her device, held down the button, and looked at the screen.

_Whom would you like to contact?_

Rachel selected the names Cheshire, Gizmo, Rancid, and Jinx. It wasn't long before they answered, Jinx walking into another room to do so.

"I was getting bored," Cheshire said.

"Suit up and head out on foot. Rancid, meet us at the park."

"On it."

"Stay on com," Jenny was swift to order. "This is an important job: these guys have seen us. They could go to the cops at any time."

"You got it, boss," Cheshire replied.

* * *

Eventually, they converged at the alley. Cheshire scaled one apartment and Jenny and Rachel a second. Rachel was carrying a guitar case that contained a sniper rifle. Slight overkill, but better safe than sorry. Eventually, a gang appeared. The plan was to send in a dealer as bait. The dealer's street record had been altered to make it seem as though he had been encroaching upon the gang's territory. The gang in its entirety had assembled. All according to plan. Finally, Shadows' bait appeared.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you safe," Jenny promised the dealer over the earpiece he had been given at a drop. The dealer, known by Shadows to be a CI, nodded and began nervously walking down the alley. Rachel smirked, raised her hood, and nonchalantly readied her rifle. Below her, the gang had shot the dealer, but that was the whole plan. Rachel fired at the seemingly harmless pile of junk, aiming for the cell phone entangled in wires

"Everybody get down!" she yelled, throwing her arms around Jenny's neck and pulling her friend to the roof as an explosion rocked the street. After a moment, Jenny put her head up after raising her hood.

"Uh-oh," she ducked back down.

"Uh-oh? Jinx, I don't like uh-ohs."

"We got a witness. Kid, 'bout seven, eight years old," Jenny said. Rachel looked over the rooftop and saw a little boy staring back from the street.

"I can't kill a kid. That's a line I won't cross," she said firmly.

"He saw you."

"With my hood. There's no way he could ID me. Now come on, let's go before the cops show up. Shadows, move out."

* * *

When Dick arrived, the fire department was putting out the fires from the explosion.

"We just sent in the call a few minutes ago," said one of the men, seeming surprised.

"I got a tip. What happened?"

"A bomb happened. Not big enough to take out the apartments but it incinerated the trash in the alley."

"And the evidence," Dick growled.

"There was a witness," Dick was pointed to where a small child was sitting, wrapped in a blanket. Dick headed over.

"Hey there, buddy. I'm Detective Grayson," Dick found his notepad and pen. "You wanna tell me what you saw?"

"Two women," he said. "I couldn't see one real well, just for a second, but I saw the other, just a little bit."

"Vic, get me a sketch artist!" Dick called. "Okay, kid, it's all gonna be okay. I promise. I promise."

* * *

"Kori Anders is a professor of chemistry at Jump City College. She has many friends, but these two seem to be her closest from what we observed today," SeeMore pushed forward two photographs. "Gar Logan volunteered with her. They went out for milkshakes after and shopped around in the mall with this woman, Karen Beecher. These three spent almost all day together. She's a cop."

"So we work Logan," Rachel decided.

"I figured as much. He works as a biology teacher at Jump City High, and their sophomore English teacher just won a six month trip to Hawaii," SeeMore replied. "Giz and I took the liberty of filling the position with your alias' name."

"This will be easy," Rachel grinned. "Retirement, here I come."

* * *

"Alright everyone, my name is Ms. Crowe," Rachel wrote her alias' name on the board and turned. Half of the class was already asleep. Rachel frowned, then smirked. She had been given access to the school's computers. "Pop quiz," she said, "worth fifty points. What are the eight parts of speech?" Half of the class slept away fifty points and most of the other half stared at her blankly. Three students turned in their papers to Rachel. She looked over them and raised an eyebrow. "A word is not a part of speech," she said, then sat back against her desk and drew in a deep breath. "CLASS!" she said sharply. Everyone was suddenly awake. "You think school is a joke? Whatever, maybe it is to you, but however you preform in here directly affects how you preform oh there. Once you're done here, nobody's going to catch you when you fall. You'll skip through society's cracks and end up living on the street. Is that the life you want?" everyone's heads shook no. "Good. Now pay attention..."

* * *

"Knock knock?" came a voice. Rachel looked up and quirked an eyebrow. "Some of my students were raving about the new English teacher. I had to come see for myself."

"And you are?"

"Garfield Logan. My friends call me Gar," he said.

"Are you calling me your friend?" Rachel asked. His eyes widened.

"N-no! Not yet!"

"I'm flattered," she said drily. "How come you're here?"

"It's my free period."

"Hm. Mine too," Rachel could tell that he was admiring her.

"How about dinner?" Gar suddenly blurted. Rachel blinked in shock.

_Hm. I guess I was right to let Jenny dress me..._

"I'm sorry, that was kinda forward..."

"Don't be," Rachel waved him off. "Eight o'clock, Chez Remonzelle. Don't be late," she smirked.

"Will do!" he walked out of the room.

* * *

"So there's this totally hot new long-term sub, right?" Gar began to speak. Dick was zoned out, staring at the partial sketch in his hand, which was carefully turned away from Gar. "Turns out, she so likes me, even though we just met! We're having dinner tonight at Chez Remonzelle."

"What? Gar, you know you can't afford that," Dick said.

"Which is why I'm asking you for help. Please, Dick, she's just my type!" Gar whined.

"Fine. I'll give you some cash, _but," _he interrupted Gar's joy with the dreaded word, "you have to let me meet her."

"Deal!"

* * *

Jenny was running point on figuring out more about Kori. She, Cheshire, and Angel were strolling through the mall together, searching for the foreigner, who had somehow slipped away. Gizmo had hacked the cameras and was running the whole mall and SeeMore was around...somewhere.

"Hey, Kori!" Jenny turned to see a young man hurrying through the crowd.

"Split up," she hissed. Cheshire and Angel each took off to one side: Jenny walked right past the pair.

"...glad I found you! Man, it's been forever since I was here! I'm only in for a week, though, so..." Jenny kept walking.

"My location, Gizmo."

"Got the crud-munchers!" his voice said. "His name's Wallace West, and he's got no job on file. Lives in Steele."

"Any connection to Karen Beecher?" Cheshire asked.

"Hm...nope."

"Angel, Cheshire, fall out. I'm going back in," Jenny said, turning around and walking with her head down, scouring the ground as though she had dropped something. She purposefully ran into the pair. "Oh I'm so sorry!" she was anything but.

"That's okay, sweetheart," he winked. "I'm Wally West. Wanna go have a drink?" Jenny forced a giggle, disgusted at the sound and at him.

"Wouldn't your girlfriend mind?"

"Don't have one! he grinned cheekily. Now how about those drinks...?"

"How about tomorrow night at nine, O'Hawk's," Jenny smirked. She had enjoyed some wonderful times at that bar.

"Sure thing," Wally winked again and Jenny headed off.

* * *

"Okay, we've managed to engage two of our mark's friends with us," Rachel summarized as she and her team sat on the ground in the park. "Now how do we get to her?"

"Get close, close until you can't breathe without thinking of your stepping stone...then get closer," Jenny suggested. Rachel nodded.

"Sounds good to me. We'll all have to be on our guard whenever these dates happen: this is going to be our final score, she stated. Everyone nodded severely.

"Are we ready?" Angel asked quietly.

"I don't think we could be more ready if we tried," Jenny replied with an impish grin. "Not even if we tried," she repeated softly as gentle rain began to fall and Shadows dispersed.


	3. The Date Nights

**Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers! Next chapter I promise will take the time to respond to you individually, but I'm a little impatient right now so...just know that all of you guys (and gals) are the reason why I write!**

**Disclaimer: N O what's that spell? Yeah you can figure it out yourself.**

* * *

Every good con artist knew that there was never only one option.

When a con started going sour, it could have been saved by a double-con or a coverup. When a mark started working things out, mixing truth with lies usually swayed the odds. When everything fell apart, you could have either run or repaired. But sometimes, things just went bad: way bad, unsalvageable bad. The only way to get out was to run away, maybe go back and take up the con again if you were lucky.

Shadows' first date was one of those times.

"Hang on a second, there's a cop car pullin' up," SeeMore said.

"I thought you were monitoring the frequencies!" Jenny hissed furiously.

"I was, I mean, I am! He wasn't dispatched! Oh shit, he's goin' inside! What do I do, what do I do?"

"Stall until we can get Raven out," Jenny ordered. "Who's closest to SeeMore's location?"

"Cheshire's closest, but I can get there fastest," Angel said simply.

"Go," Jenny ordered. Angel dove off of the building, plunging straight for an abandoned alley. When her bungee cord began to pull her back up, she pulled a knife and sliced it, tucking and rolling off a dumpster to land in a crouch in the alley. Jenny knew what was happening because she knew her teammate far too well.

"I'm on my way," Angel assured SeeMore. Jenny guessed she was jogging towards him.

"Wouldn't it be easier for me to shoot him?" Cheshire asked.

"No, we don't need any bodies here," Jenny reined in her trigger-happy teammate.

"I was gonna dump the body down the manhole," Cheshire mumbled.

"SeeMore, keep stalling!" Jenny growled.

"Hey, you're that one cop! I read about you in the paper! Officer..." SeeMore trailed off, pretending to forget a name.

"Grayson. Detective Grayson," the man said stiffly.

"Yeah, that's the one!" SeeMore exclaimed gleefully.

"Gizmo, dig up everything you can find on Detective Grayson," Jenny ordered, leaning against the bar as she sat on her stool.

"I'm on it!" Gizmo said, typing furiously in the back of Rancid's van.

"Angel, how soon until intercept?"

"T-minus sixty ticks," Angel replied.

"Forty-five," Jenny corrected, and Angel, Jenny assumed, sped up, catching up to the pair.

"Detective Grayson!" she wheezed. "Someone stole my purse!" Jenny rolled her eyes: Angel despised purses. The ruse, however, worked. Jenny heard him asking questions and trying to calm her.

"Cheshire, pass off your purse to a thug," Jenny ordered.

"Done," she agreed. Jenny heard the scuffle that followed.

"Got it! Whoa," Gizmo said, Jenny guessed in shock as files scrolled across his screens. He typed in a few searches: Jenny heard the keyboard. "Uh-oh."

"Giz, I don't like uh-ohs," Jenny growled.

"This Grayson guy's investigating the gang-explosion case. Our case. According to the files, he's got a partial sketch of Raven."

"Good enough to recognize her?"

"If this guy's as good as his records say, hell yeah."

"Raven, there's a cop outside. He's working our case, and he can recognize you. We need to leave, now," Jenny ordered. There was no answer. "Raven?"

"There's interference on her com," Gizmo explained.

"Gizmo, I will give you sixty seconds to get Raven's com back online, or when she gets arrested and we have to run, I'll make damn sure you get left behind," Jenny threatened. Gizmo gulped audibly.

"I can't get through to her com, but I can set off the fire alarms."

"That won't help. If Raven goes out through the front, Grayson will recognize her and we'll all go down. He comes in, he'll recognize her and we'll all go down. We're sitting ducks."

"Then let's not sit," Red X had appeared beside her. Jenny looked at him and slowly formulated a plan.

"Follow my lead," she ordered, grabbing his waist and beginning to drag him over to Rachel's table. "Act drunk," as Red X began to stumble, Jenny felt her tension mounting.

"Heeey, whazzup with theeee yellllooowww roses?" Red X asked, slurring everything except the codeword. Rachel sighed.

"I am _so_ sorry Gar, my brother has some drinking problems. I need to get him home. It was nice talking to you!" she said, getting up and walking away, wrapping her arm around Red X. "Guys, what's going on? You wrecked my con!"

"There's a cop outside who can place you at the dealer-gang explosion. We need to get out now, unless we want to get caught," Red X hissed.

"X, can you sing?" Jenny asked suddenly.

"No," he scoffed.

"Good. Sing," Jenny ordered. Red X rolled his eyes.

"I got a puh-ocketttfuuul of ssssunshiine..." he warbled, terribly off-pitch, slurring his words, and going in the wrong rhythm. The manager came up to them.

"Vat iz ze meaneeng oav zis?" he asked.

"I am so sorry. Our brother had a little too much wine, and we want to get out without going out front. We're minor socialites, and this is a nice headliner..." Jenny lied.

"Oh, I zee! Come, come," the manager led them to the kitchens. "You vill leef tru ze kitcheens, no?"

"Oh thank you!" Rachel exclaimed. She clearly knew the angle Jenny was playing; someone too drunk to stand would be bad press for the restaurant.

"Eet iz nozing at oul," the manager assured them, opening the back door and allowing the three to stumble out and into the alley.

"We're clear. Rancid, get us outta here!" Jenny exclaimed. A black van pulled up at the end of the alley, and the three criminals leaped in, pulling the door shut behind them. They knew the rest of the team would be okay: getting a possible liability out of the way was more important than a catching a ride to the park.

As she sat in the van, Jenny closed her eyes and remembered a few hours prior…

* * *

"_Alright, Raven's going in blind," Jenny said. "X and I'll be inside. Angel, Kyd, Cheshire, SeeMore, you're running surveillance. Giz and Mammoth, stay in the van with Rancid."_

"_Why do you get the good job?" Angel pouted._

"'_Cause I'm the boss. If something goes wrong, our code for this job is 'roses' okay? The entire last score code is 'roses'," Jenny said sternly. Everyone nodded. "Now come on, Raven. Let's get you dressed…"_

* * *

"Hey man!"

"Where is she?" Dick looked around.

"Just left. Her brother was drunk beyond belief. Hard to believe they're related."

"Did you get a picture?" Gar rolled his eyes.

"Jeez, Dick, not everyone's a bad person. She's camera-shy."

"Hm," Dick frowned. Something didn't feel right to him. He made a mental note to check the security cameras.

"You look kinda stressed."

"I'm worried about Kori. She _was _just swindled out of seven million dollars," Dick replied. Gar leaned back in his chair.

"So? She's strong. I mean, I know she'll make it through," he said easily.

"I know, but I still worry," Dick replied with a frown. Gar laughed.

"Man, you're so into her it's not even funny anymore."

"So?" Dick frowned even more.

"Nothing. Did you hear Wally's in town?"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Kori saw him at the mall. While they were there, he picked up some chick," Dick's crime radar went off.

_Gar and Wally getting two spontaneous dates with two complete strangers in one day? Too coincidental to be real._

"Who?"

"You know Wally, he didn't ask for a name. They're meeting up tomorrow night at O'Hawk's, nine o'clock. Dick, you're not planning on crashing their date, are you?" Gar asked. The detective looked at him severely.

"Gar, I have to protect my friends."

"Well yeah, but this is just some random chick Wally met!"

"Maybe so, maybe no. You know how much money Kori has…that seven million was barely a penny for her. These guys could be after her. I can't let her get hurt, dammit!" he slammed his fist onto the table.

"Dick, calm down. Just let things happen when they happen. I promise, it's all gonna turn out okay."

"I hope so, Gar. For the sake of our friends, I hope so."

* * *

The next night at O'Hawk's, Rachel was in charge.

"I want Angel, Kyd, and Cheshire inside, SeeMore, Mammoth, and X on outside surveillance, and Rancid, Giz, and myself in the van. We play it safe. First sign of a bad run, we call it off. Understood?"

"Understood!" her team repeated. Jenny just smirked.

"Game on," she slid out of the van and headed into the bar.

"How do we play the bar scene?" Cheshire asked. Rachel thought.

"Angel and Kyd, you're on a date. You've been together since high school. Kyd, you still have that ring from our last jewelry store heist?" he nodded. "You notice anything bad, get down on one knee and hold it out to Angel like you're proposing. Draw attention. Give Jinx time to get out. Cheshire, you just got dumped by your fiancé. Pretend to get drunk, but stay sober. If you notice something going wrong, do anything to attract attention. Either of you girls can say the code if the coms go down, okay?" the three of them nodded. "Good. Kyd and Angel, go in together. Chesh, you're five minutes later. Go."

"Come on, my love," Angel said dramatically. Kyd Wykkyd made a face and took her hand, walking out of the van with her. Gizmo had already hacked into any nearby cameras and filled them with static. Nobody would see anything involving Shadows leaving the same cramped quarters. Rachel knew it was time to wait patiently for Jenny's date to arrive.

"He's here," SeeMore said.

"Jenny, get ready," Rachel said.

* * *

"I'm ready," Jenny leaned on the bar and ordered a drink.

"Hey beautiful," Wally grinned. Jenny forced a sweet smile. "I never did catch your name…"

"It's Lucky…my full name's a little embarrassing. I think my mom named me Lucky to mess with my head," she managed to muster a light blush.

"Aw come on, I won't laugh!"

"Hm, I don't think so," Jenny smirked. Wally laughed.

"I like you. You're very…mysterious."

"You really want to find out how mysterious I can be?" Jenny asked seductively, playing with his shirt. "Buy me a few drinks. Then…" she smirked. "Then we'll see what happens."

"Jinx, you are not there to have fun!" Rachel admonished over the tiny earpiece Gizmo had created. It was a skin-hued sticker that attached to the inside of the ear, and was surprisingly functional.

"I like the sound of that," Wally grinned.

* * *

Ten drinks later, Jenny had managed to stay sober by using her date's short attention span. He looked away and she dumped her drink on the floor. She had drunk only one.

"Grayson alert!" SeeMore suddenly exclaimed. "Roses, roses!"

"We got this, Cheshire," Angel said. Kyd Wykkyd stood and took Angel's hand, bringing her to the center of the room. He smiled at her and fell to one knee, presenting the ring. Angel's eyes filled with tears.

"Yes," she said softly, attacking him with a hug. Everyone stood, crowding around and clapping, some drunk out of their minds.

"Wanna blow this joint?" Jenny whispered in Wally's ear.

"I couldn't agree more," he grinned. They left without a problem. Jenny saw Detective Grayson in the crowd, as well as Cheshire, but they didn't see her. Wally led her to a sports car and opened the door for her. Trying to act tipsy, Jinx slid in. Wally sat in the driver's seat and began to pull out.

* * *

"SeeMore, we have visual on Jinx?" Rachel asked.

"I do," Red X said. "The sports car pulling out now."

"Rancid, tail him," Rachel ordered. He obeyed. Wally seemed to know he was being followed; he nearly lost Shadows multiple times.

"Jeez, that was interesting," Rancid grumbled as he parked the van a block down from the hotel Wally had pulled into.

"Gizmo, get us hotel surveillance," Rachel ordered. Moments later, the frames appeared on Gizmo's computers. "Cut the feed."

"They're seeing snow," Gizmo reported. Rachel watched as Jenny and Wally walked in. They headed straight for the elevator.

"Jinx, you had better not stay the night in that room. That detective showing up at both of our cons means that he could be onto us. If he drops by, we might be blown," she ordered.

* * *

As soon as Wally had closed the door, he grinned at Jenny.

"Guess we're alone."

"Guess so," she replied casually. Wally advanced on her and pinned her to the bed.

* * *

"Jinx…" Rachel groaned, slamming a hand to her face as heavy breathing echoed over the coms. She could venture a guess at exactly how her friend was maintaining her cover, and her guess was most likely correct. She whacked Gizmo on the back of the head. "Stop listening! That goes for the rest of you, too! She's maintaining her cover. Is everyone clear of Grayson?" affirmatives rang over her earpiece. "Good. Gizmo, I want you to call Jinx's burn phone. Put me on," he typed furiously. After a few minutes, a breathless Jenny answered.

"Hello?"

"Miss Day, this is the Jump City Hospital calling to inform you that your mother has been injured falling down a flight of stairs," Jenny gasped.

"Is she alright?"

"We're not sure. We think you should come, and bring a few roses, just in case," Rachel hung up.

"What's with the code?" Rancid asked. She pointed at where Detective Grayson was entering the hotel.

"Jinx, listen carefully to everything Gizmo says and you might make it out of that hotel without getting busted. We don't know if this Grayson guy's put the pieces together yet or not," Rachel hung up her phone.

"Wally, I have to go, my mom's been hospitalized, and…"

"Need a lift?"

"No, I don't want to put you out of your way. I'll catch a taxi," Rachel heard a door open. "Here's my number. Call if you need me…or if you want me," a door closed.

"Okay Jinx, take the stairs. I've put the cameras on loop," Gizmo said. Rachel heard the door open and close, and footsteps. "Get off on the third floor and take the elevator down to the lobby, then come across the street to the van," not five minutes later, Jenny slid in.

"What the hell, Jinx? You gave him your phone number?" Rachel snarled.

"It's called keeping a cover. Try it sometime."

"And if Grayson calls and traces you?"

"Gizmo, take care of it," Jenny ordered. He saluted and began to type with a passion.

"Okay, Jinx. You're officially untraceable," he said. "The program I've created will randomize your location to somewhere within the city and send you a text with that location."

"So I can pass any pop quizzes," she said. Gizmo nodded.

"Good work, team," Rachel said. "Let's call it a night."

* * *

"Wally, where's your girl?"

"You just missed her, Dick. Family emergency," Wally replied as Dick looked around. The detective frowned.

"I doubt that."

"Hey, Lucky's a perfectly good woman!"

"Are you sure?" Dick raised an eyebrow. Wally nodded. "Positive?" another nod. "No signs of anything amiss?" hesitation.

"Well…I think we were followed," he replied. "I kept getting a feeling, and I kept seeing the same black van in the mirror."

"Listen, Wally, I want you to call this Lucky person first thing in the morning and ask her to go grab a coffee at Lucy's with you. I'll be there. If I'm right, she'll have a team to back her up…including this woman," he produced a shaky partial sketch of a young woman's face.

"Dick…"

"My mind's made up."

"Okay fine! But what happens if you're wrong?"

"I guess you get to see your girlfriend again."

* * *

"You get all that?" Red X asked.

"Yeah," Rachel replied. She and Red X were still online. He had managed to place a bug on Detective Grayson. "Tomorrow Jenny goes in with a two-man backup. You're inside, Angel's up high. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Night, X."

"Night, Raven."

* * *

Jenny awoke in the morning to a phone ringing. She groaned and looked at the screen of her burn phone.

_Jump City Central Park_

She sighed and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lucky, it's Wally! From last night."

"Yeah, how could I forget?"

"Heheh. You maybe wanna meet up for some Lucy's coffee in a half hour?"

"Make it a full one. I have to go home and shower first."

"Where are you?"

"Just out for a walk," she replied vaguely. "See you at Lucy's in an hour?"

"Done deal," Jenny hung up and rose from bed to make herself presentable.

* * *

Wally said his code for success and blinked as Lucky hung up.

"What if you really are wrong, Dick? Who are you to accuse an innocent young woman of such terrible crimes?" he asked.

"I'm a detective doing my job. Now get ready for your date."

* * *

Rachel blinked open her eyes to Jenny shaking her.

"Rachel, Wally invited me to coffee," she was saying. Rachel sat up.

"I know," she grumbled.

"You…know?"

"Red X bugged Grayson last night. This date is a setup, to see if you're on a team of criminals," she pulled her communicator. "He's going to be in the shop with you and Angel will be nearby on some roof. That's what he and I decided last night. There isn't any surveillance so Gizmo won't be there, and Grayson will be expecting a large team. He'll see you and possibly Red X."

"And if he makes me?"

"Angel will have her sniper rifle and Red X will be carrying a live bomb. If things go bad, just say, 'Roses are red, violets are blue, I'll soon be dead, and you will be, too' and Angel will fire. The whole place will go up in smoke."

"Creepy rhyme," Jenny noticed.

"Came up with it myself.

"I guessed. I'd better go."

"I'll call the others. And Jenny…?"

"Yeah?"

"…Be careful."

* * *

"Hey, Lucky!" Wally bounded over. Jenny raised an eyebrow at the young man following behind.

"I thought this was supposed to be a date?" she asked.

"I met Dick here outside," Wally explained. Jenny watched Grayson's gaze pass right over Red X, whose briefcase was in clear view of the window. "He's a good friend."

"Hey, I'm Lucky," Jenny introduced herself, shaking his hand.

"She won't tell me her last name," Wally grumbled.

"It's humiliating!" Jenny replied, on edge. She was facing the one man who could take down her partner, her team, her business. She, however, would not balk.

"Hm," Grayson grunted.

"Day. Lucky Day. Isn't that the worst?" Jenny asked.

"I've gotta make a call," Grayson left, and Jenny found herself desperately hoping that Gizmo had created her alias to her specifications. Every Shadow had one major alias, created by Gizmo. The Shadow would choose details and memorize them while Gizmo created the person.

Jenny's alias was Lucky Quinn Day. Lucky's birthday was January twenty-sixth, her father had died on her twelfth birthday, she herself was twenty-six, and she had a dog named Dover. Dover was a cross between a husky and a Rottweiler. Lucky lived at seventeen thirty-three Pine Wood Lane, an abandoned house that Shadows had bought specifically for the purpose of creating a more realistic alias. Lucky's mother was fifty-three, named Georgia Rice Day, and had a heart condition that she fortunately hadn't passed to her daughter. Lucky had no medical history of allergies or conditions, and she had no disorders. She lived alone, attended Jump City Liberal Arts College for psychology, and worked as a dancer. Her favorite color was green and her only kin was her mother, who didn't have a phone. Lucky didn't own a car.

"So, Lucky," Wally said. "Did you miss me last night?"

"Every second," she replied.

"Is your mom okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine, going home today," she replied casually.

"Shall I order you a drink?"

"You very well may. Surprise me."

"Allergies?"

"None," she said easily.

"Back in a flash!" Grayson reentered as Wally left. Jenny bit the inside of her lip at the way he was looking at her.

It was time to bluff.

* * *

After answering several trivial questions about her alias, Jenny was on edge. Grayson was suspicious of her. He narrowed his eyes at her. Jenny's resisted the urge to shift in her seat, remaining calm and relaxed on the outside. Grayson was glaring. Wally was grinning. Jenny was smiling calmly. Red X, she saw, was ordering another coffee. Angel, she knew, was on a rooftop, sniper rifle ready.

"Duty calls," Grayson said as he checked his beeping phone. "Vic's got a new lead."

"On the explosion case?" Wally asked. Grayson glared. "Oh relax. Lucky can keep her mouth shut, can't you, Lucky?" she nodded. Grayson gritted his teeth.

"Fine, Wally. Fine. But when your little girlfriend here turns on you, don't come to me for help."

* * *

"Hey man," Vic said as Dick walked into the station. "I caught a break. Had every place in the city check their security cameras. Check this out," he pulled up a few frames of static.

"Where?" Dick asked harshly.

"Chez Remonzelle, O'Hawk's, and Kangaroo Hotel," Dick stiffened.

"Night before last and last night?"

"How'd you know?" Vic asked in shock. Dick ran a hand down his face and slammed a fist down.

"Gar and Wally's dates. They're part of this gang. They're targeting Kori. I know it, Vic, I know!"

"Okay, let me run the names."

"Lucky Day and Sarah Crowe. No photos," Dick said. "I know what Day looks like, though. I'll get Gar in here to confirm Crowe."

"Done," Vic pulled up two photos and two files. "They're clean, man. Not squeaky, but they're solid. They're real."

"No. They can't be! Call. Not Day. Call Crowe and trace her," Dick said. "She's the woman I have a sketch of."

* * *

Rachel was lounging in her favorite bookstore when her alias' cellphone rang. She answered.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Crowe," said a firm male's voice.

"Who is this?" she asked sharply, sandwiching the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she used her communicator to contact Gizmo.

_Trace my alias' caller. NOW._

"We know who you are and we know what you've done."

"What are you talking about?" she made her voice puzzled and frightened.

"Sarah Crowe isn't your real name."

"Who is this?" she repeated.

"What is your real name? Maybe we can work out a deal."

_Detective Richard Grayson._

Rachel read Gizmo's message and knew she was being traced.

"Please don't call me again," she said in a terrified and befuddled tone before hanging up and leaving the store. She proceeded to call Gizmo. "I need you to scramble my cell signal. Grayson's caught on."

"On it!" he signed off. Rachel slid into her car, buckled her seatbelt, and drove away at a reasonable pace. When she reached the park, she called her team.

"Raven? Is everything okay?" Angel asked.

"Is Jinx clear of her stepping stone?"

"Yeah, as of twenty-three minutes ago."

"Good. Grayson's onto us. I don't know how he figured it out, but he knows. He called my alias and tried to negotiate a deal. I hung up. Gizmo, I want you to set up what you set up for Jinx and me with all of our alias' cells."

"Consider it done!"

"Cheshire, I want you tailing Grayson. He does not leave your sight. Bug him, approach him, tail him, I don't care, just don't lose him."

"You got it."

"Angel, I need you and Kyd on the mark. Stake her out. She and Grayson are connected somehow. I need you to connect those dots."

"Yes ma'am!"

_Okay._

"Everyone else, be careful. Stay low. Go underground, even."

"Is this permanent?" Red X asked.

"No," Rachel said, hoping they could hear her smirk. "Definitely not. We stay off of Grayson's radar for a week or so, but as soon as he's unaware, it'll be our turn to go on the offensive. We'll hit so hard he'll never see it coming. We'll hit right where it hurts. We'll formulate a foolproof plan and, when we're through, none of us will ever have to worry again."


	4. The Fight's Been Moved

**So hey, yeah, super short chapter. But hey, at least it's not boring! I hope...**

**discb: Thanks! It was a challenge to invent.**

**KKsaiyancat: Thanks! Hope you still like it!**

**Disclaimer: I most certainly own absolutely nothing.**

**SPOILER**

**PS: In the end, keep reading! It's not over, I promise!**

**END SPOILER**

* * *

"It's time," Rachel said as she called her team nine long days later. "Time to take the fight to them."

"How?" Cheshire asked.

"We set a trap, but every trap needs bait. Now listen carefully..."

* * *

After a very successful gang takedown on an anonymous tip, Dick was lounging at his desk in the Jump City Police Department with Vic and Karen.

"So hey man, about that barbecue..."

"Yeah, you can cook," Dick told his partner.

"Sounds good to me, just make sure I'm in town! I would not miss a home-cooked meal by Sparky for anything," Karen grinned. Dick's cell phone rang.

"Hang on a sec," he didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Detective Grayson. Listen carefully."

"Who is this?" he asked, looking meaningfully at Vic, who began to trace the call.

"Stop searching. Stop prying. Hell, stop living for all I care! Just stop."

"And if I don't?"

"Check your email, detective," he checked on his computer to see three new messages. He clicked the one without a sender.

There was a photo of Kori in crosshairs.

"Who are you?" the voice, feminine, chuckled.

"I guess you'll never know," Vic nodded and Dick hung up viciously.

"Warehouse down on Thirty-Ninth."

"I'll go clear it with the captain."

* * *

"No."

"But—!"

"_Detective_ Grayson, have you forgotten the Wilson case? Your obsession nearly killed a good officer. If you want to do this, you'll do it on your own time. Understand?"

"I...understand," Dick growled, his eyes burning as he stormed out. "Vic, Karen!" he barked. They hurried to his side. "We're on our own."

* * *

Cheshire smirked as Grayson hung up. Rachel looked at her.

"Warehouse on Thirty-Ninth," the assassin said simply.

"Mammoth, Rancid, you're up," Rachel ordered. "You've got ten minutes."

* * *

When Dick, Vic, and Karen arrived at the warehouse, all that was left was a pile of ashes. Dick snarled and slammed his fist into his palm. The criminals wouldn't get away again!

"We need a bigger team," he growled, knowing that he would be sorely outnumbered if he tried to take them down with just his two friends.

"I know just who to call," Vic smiled.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, a group of friends was assembled in the park: Dick, Karen, Vic, Wally, Gar, Roy, and Kori.

"Are you insane? They've got eyes on her!" Dick hissed.

"Easy! I had Wally pick her up," Vic soothed. "He lost the tail."

"Okay. We know that Gar and Wally's dates are a part of this and we know that they have a massive enterprise. We know they have a hacker and we know they have a sniper. We also know how to track them. Vic, can you trace back that number?"

"Call it and I'll do all you need and more," Dick dialed.

"Detective Grayson. I was beginning to think you'd gone up in smoke."

"Where are you?" he spat.

"Now you're a clever one, aren't you? Figure it out yourself. Oh and don't call me again," she hung up.

"I got a general fix. The docks!" the group took off in various cars, speeding off towards the sea.

* * *

"The signal should have been coming from this pier," Vic said, leading them through the rows of storage. One facility was open. On a hunch, Dick peered in. There was a cell phone lying beside a bomb.

"Everyone get down!" he shouted, racing in and snatching up the phone. He barely escaped with his life.

The phone rang.

"Stop playing games," Dick spat as soon as he answered.

"Who's playing?" the voice was masculine. "I'm not. Not when I can do this," a shot pinged off of the street beside Kori's hip. She shrieked. "And that was just a warning," Dick slowly lowered the phone as he hung up.

"What is it?" Vic asked.

"They want us to stop looking."

"But you won't."

"Never."

* * *

Dick and his friends had traced the signal to an old warehouse on the far side of town. He drew his weapon and kicked the side door in. He nodded to Vic and Karen, who were the next ones in. There were three levels.

"Vic, you take Wally and Roy: search the upper floors. Karen and Kori, you take the middle. Gar and I can handle the bottom," Dick ordered. They nodded and split up. Dick pulled his backup gun and tossed it to Gar. "We're splitting. You search that way," he pointed right, "and circle in. I'll go from the opposite direction," Gar nodded and began to move. Dick headed in the opposite direction, drawing his flashlight and holding it with his gun. He saw the light of Gar's phone slowly fading.

* * *

"Okay y'all, we're stickin' together," Vic said firmly, pulling both a flashlight and a gun. Wally and Roy nodded.

* * *

"Kori, stay close," Karen ordered, drawing her gun and flashlight.

"Something is moving…"

"I see it," Karen fired at a shadow.

"Eep!" Kori vanished.

"Kori!" Karen whirled around and heard a cold laugh. Her flashlight fell across a young Asian woman, holding Kori at knifepoint and covering her mouth with her other hand.

"You want her? Come get her," Karen aimed carefully, ready to fire. She was an exceptional shot, and she knew she could make the kill. "Jinx, now!" Karen's eyes widened as a a woman Karen recognized as "Lucky Day" slid directly in the way of her bullet. Stunned, Karen hesitated, and that was her fatal mistake. Jinx swung her leg around and kicked Karen hard. Kori screamed against her captor's hand as Jinx hauled the dazed Karen up by her arms and covered her mouth.

"Let's go find Raven."

* * *

Vic pulled out his cellphone and dialed Dick's number, clearly knowing that his partner's phone was on vibrate.

"Man, there's no one here. Let's call it quits."

"Um, Vic?" Wally said. "Small problem," Roy looked up from his own phone to see a young woman and three young men facing him.

"I think they're expecting us," he said, gritting his teeth as Vic hung up. The detective fired as the largest of the men charged, but the bullets didn't even slow him. He punched Vic across the jaw, effectively knocking him out.

"Nice one, Mammoth!" called the woman.

"Thanks," he grunted.

"Angel, heads up!" one of the other men called. She dodged a punch from Wally and sent him into a crushing bear hug from the final man.

"I owe ya one, X! Drop it, Rancid," the third man glared at her, but slackened his grip on Wally. Mammoth lifted Vic, Rancid Wally, and Angel Roy. They smirked at each other.

"Let's go downstairs," was the last thing Roy heard before he lost consciousness.

* * *

Gar heard something and whipped around. A shadow moved, but he was trembling too much to shoot.

"Wh-who are you?" a young man appeared before him and whipped the gun away, backhanding him into the arms of a teenager. Gar struggled, but the man struck the side of his head, knocking him out cold.

* * *

Rachel sighed. She had been sitting in the chair in the warehouse for over an hour. With Kyd Wykkyd and Gizmo on her level, Jenny and Cheshire on the second, and everyone else other than SeeMore on the third, she hoped everything was going smoothly. SeeMore was running surveillance on the roof, making sure no police backup arrived.

"Alright, I don't want any trouble! Hands in the air!" Grayson yelled, emerging from the shadows with his gun pointed at Rachel. She stood and raised her arms, smirking.

"Now now, is that really the way you want to play?" she asked coyly.

"You are under arrest!" Grayson announced. Rachel sighed.

"I suppose so. Oh Cheshire!" she called, hoping her team was in position and prepared to her specifications. Cheshire seemed to materialize beside Rachel, holding a knife to the throat of a struggling redhead.

"Kori!" Grayson yelled, swinging his gun around. Cheshire's knife pressed harder, and the redhead screamed against her captor's hand.

"You don't want to do that," Rachel cautioned. "Even the tiniest nick will kill her. So just drop your weapon, kick it over to me, and Cheshire will let her go," she ordered coldly. Grayson, eyes burning, dropped his gun and kicked it over to Rachel. She picked it up and tossed it back and forth between her hands before nodding to Cheshire, who sheathed her knife and roughly shoved the redhead at Grayson.

"Oh isn't this adorable?" Jenny taunted, stepping from the shadows and holding a gun to the head of another woman.

"Karen," the redhead mumbled.

"Here's a tip for you, asshole," Rachel hissed at Grayson as the rest of her team slowly appeared, holding more slumped shapes. "Don't mess with us. And if you do, bring more backup than a couple friends," she walked over to Grayson and toyed with the safety on his gun. "Nighty-night."

* * *

"What's on?" Jenny asked as she sat on the couch. Rachel glanced at her, briefly removing her gaze from the television.

"Just some old reruns, nothing good," was her reply. Jenny moved for the bedroom. "Uh, I wouldn't go in there..." Jenny turned and gave Rachel a look.

"Oh Rachel, you didn't..."

"Just until we can find something more permanent," Jenny wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh, whatever. If the place starts to stink, I blame you."

"By the time that starts to happen, they'll be underground. Cheshire, Kyd Wykkyd, Red X, Mammoth, and Angel are out looking for a few good places."

"A few?" Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"All of them together is a little risky, don't you think?"

"Touché. So how do we go about this...?"

"I've got it all worked out, don't worry," Rachel smirked. "The cops will never know anything happened."

* * *

"Found one," Cheshire called in with the coordinates of an abandoned storage facility.

"Us, too," Angel said while Kyd Wykkyd sent the address of the warehouse.

"We found one," Red X called in an office building that had been bought by Shadows.

"Good," Jenny said. "Angel, Kyd, you'll take Stone and Beecher. Cheshire, you've got Harper. Red X has got Anders and Grayson. Raven, you find a place and take Logan. I'll handle West. We clear?"

"Crystal," Rachel said drily.

"Gizmo, Rancid, Mammoth SeeMore, you need to keep the streets quiet and provide any needed assistance."

"You've got it," Rancid replied.

"Good work, team," Jenny said. "We're well on our way to easy street."


End file.
